Resources for instructors

StarID

StarID is a unique Minnesota State system username which can be used at any college or university within the system. Concurrent students and teachers can use it to access Minnesota State system and M State resources, including the online library database, D2L and WebWorks.

How to activate a StarID

Step 1: Go to the Minnesota State StarID website. Click on "Activate StarID" and "Personal Email Address." Concurrent instructors will use their school email to activate their StarID. Students must use the same personal email they entered on their application to M State. Email us at concurrent@minnesota.edu at least one week prior to activating StarIDs if you would like a list of student emails for your class.

Step 2: A verification code will be sent to the email address entered. The code is valid for only one hour and can be used only once.

Step 3: Copy and paste the code or enter it manually at the Minnesota State StarID website. Click on "Activate StarID" and "Verification Code." A StarID will be generated.

Step 4: Create a new password. Passwords must use at least three of the following: uppercase, lowercase, numbers, special characters.

Questions?

D2L Brightspace

D2L Brightspace is M State's online course management system.

How to access a course shell

  1. Log in with your StarID and password.
  2. In the upper right click on "select a course" (box/grid icon) to expand the drop-down list.
  3. Select the name of the course you would like to access. It is helpful to pin active courses to the top of the list by clicking on the pin icon to the right of the course title.

Review class lists

  1. Review your class list for accuracy under the "communications" drop-down menu.
  2. Email krista.price@minnesota.edu the names and IDs of students who need to be dropped or added to the class prior to the drop and withdraw deadline.

How to extend a course end date

Access to the D2L dropbox is automatically set to end in accordance with M State's academic schedule. Because most high schools are in session longer than the college, you may need to manually change the course end date by doing the following:

  1. Click on "Course Admin"
  2. Choose "Course Offering Information" under the Site Setup heading
  3. Scroll to the middle of the page and change the end date
  4. Save

Students access to D2L

  1. Students need to activate their StarID. Directions can be found on the Concurrent Enrollment Students web page.
  2. Students will log in to SpartanNet with their StarID and password.
  3. Click on the "D2L Brightspace" button on the left and then select the course listed under "My Courses."

Other Resources

Need help?

M State's Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) is your resource for help on best practices and current trends in teaching, as well as support for all the ways M State makes it possible for students to learn including curriculum delivery resources, technology and teaching tools. For more information, call 218.299.6533 or email ctlt@minnesota.edu.

Turnitin

Turnitin is an online tool that supports M State's Academic Honesty and Integrity Policy.

CEP Instructor Testimonial: Since using turnitin.com, my life as a college English instructor has become a little less stressful and demanding. Using this service has made grading college essays a more enjoyable experience. I no longer have to check for plagiarized material, and I can spend more time making comments on student writing (I'm able to focus more on what's important). My students are enjoying this as well. They are able to self-monitor and using this service is making them more responsible and accountable writers. I hope we have this service for future classes--it's a highly-effective tool for all who use it. Thank you for opening this up to us at the high schools.

IMPORTANT: M State purchases the license for Turnitin services, thus it can only be used for M State concurrent courses.

How to request an account

1. Email megan.adamczyk@minnesota.edu with your request

2. A confirmation email from Turnitin will be sent to you with further instructions after your account has been created

3. Watch the Turnitin Web Training

Note: We strongly recommend a policy is incorporated in your syllabus describing your plans to use this service.

 

Library resources

  • M State Library Resources. Students will need to activate their StarIDs for access (See StarID instructions at the top of this page). Once logged in, the following options will be available:
     
  • Traditional PALS - M State's online library catalog.
  • MnPALS Plus - An open source "discovery tool", or group of applications working together between the user and the integrated library system to find resources.
  • Net Library - Electronic periodical database. When you choose a database, be sure to select "Full Text" so the entire article will print.

If you have questions regarding the library resources, or would like to schedule a time for your class to visit an M State campus library, contact concurrent@minnesota.edu. If a student gets locked out due to too many failed log in attempts, contact kari.oanes@minnesota.edu.

  • Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM). Minnesota residents' online access to magazines, journals, newspapers, encyclopedia articles, eBooks and other information resources on a vast array of topics. ELM is funded by state and federal tax dollars and the current license covers K-12 media centers. To access the databases, a Minnesota public library bar code is needed.
  • Ask MN. This cooperative of Minnesota libraries is a live interactive chat service that allows Minnesota residents and students to converse with a librarian in real time. The bar code from a Minnesota public library card will need to be entered to access this service.
  • Library of Congress. The nation's oldest federal cultural institution and largest library in the world has millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections.

MediaSpace

MediaSpace is a cloud based web service developed by Kaltura which facilitates the conversion and distribution of various audio and video media formats. Faculty, staff and students may upload media content to the MediaSpace server which automatically converts and optimizes your media for hassle-free distribution on the web. Once uploaded, MediaSpace will provide links and embed code that you can use to share your media with others. This service is offered to the MnSCU community at no cost.

Log in to Media Space with your StarID and password.

Learning and study

  • Study Guides and Strategies. Permission is granted to freely copy, adapt, and distribute individual Study Guides in print format in non-commercial educational settings that benefit learners.
  • Literacy Works. This site provides dynamic resources to increase literacy skills.

Multi subject

  • HippoCampus. The goal of this site is to provide high-quality, multimedia content on general education subjects. Explore over 5,700 free videos in 13 subject areas. Teachers can create a free account to customize playlists for students.
  • Khan Academy. The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing free world-class education for anyone, anywhere.
  • Educational Press. Create free educational worksheets such as flashcards, game boards and quizzes.
  • Quizlet. Simple tools that let the user study anything, for free. Students define what they need to learn through six different study modes. They can even study with friends or join a classroom.

Chemistry

  • JCE Chemical Education Xchange. ChemEd X hopes to strengthen the community of chemistry educators by providing learning resources and forums for discussion and collaboration through their website. A paid subscription may be needed to access some resources on this site.

English resources

  • Citation Machine. Its goal is to make it easy for student researchers to cite information sources. Create free citations by using the search tool based on the type of resource used. Copy and paste an essay into EssayCheck to score it for free. The score is based on seven categories: organization, conventions, sentence structure, development of ideas, word choice, style and grammar and spelling.
  • The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). Free resources for non-Purdue college level instructors and students on the writing process, rhetoric and logic, essay genres and style and language.

Math resources

  • WeBWork. This online homework system for math and science courses is supported by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and National Science Foundation (NSF). Access to this resource is free for M State concurrent teachers and students. Contact katie.tysdal@minnesota.edu, to request an account. Download WeBWork instructions below. *Students will need to activate their StarID to log in (see StarID instructions on the top of this page).
  • Desmos. Desmos believes the key to learning is by doing, and the key to achieve this vision is through their next generation online graphing calculator. It's intuitive, beautiful math and, best of all, it's completely free.
  • Hotmath. This is a link to the free tutorials for the TI-84. Other features of this site may require a yearly subscription fee.
  • Calculus-help. Free calculus tutorials for students and teachers worldwide.
  • Edfinity
  • Graphing calculator tutorial
  • Khan Academy videos. Khan Academy is a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing free world-class education to anyone anywhere.
  • MyMathtest. Testing and placement tools that assess students' strengths and knowledge gaps. Design tests and refresher courses. There is a low-cost 16-week subscription for students to register to practice and review skills.
  • PurpleMath. This site has many free math resources. Some resource links on the site, such as MathHelp.com, require a paid subscription.
  • University of Minnesota OER textbook site
Associated Downloads:

Explore